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Benjamin Babine, Abuja
The National Information Technology Agency (NITDA) has, in a move to digitise the agricultural sector, adopted 130 farmers to the National Adopted Village for Smart Agriculture (NAVSA) programme, thereby providing Nigerian farmers with means to showcase their produce in the digital space.
The Director General, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, who disclosed this in a virtual event attended by many dignitaries, explained that the project has been piloted in Jigawa State but will be initiated across all 774 Local Government Areas in the country.
He said that 130 farmers drawn from the 27 Local Governments of Jigawa state were trained and also provided with smart devices, internet connectivity, seed fund worth N100,000, and certified seed.
Abdullahi said that the goal of NAVSA is to build digital capabilities and innovations across agriculture value chains aimed to create massive jobs and improve the income and wealth of every ecosystem player. According to him, currently in Nigeria, agriculture hires about 70 per cent of the workforce.
Abdullahi stated that NAVSA is designed to take small scale farmers to commercial level using a performance-based approach. The project targets graduates (between the age of 20 to 35 years) with prerequisite knowledge to participate in AgricTech project.
He added that, NAVSA would enhance digital agriculture strategy, and support Federal Government policy by taking advantage of the growing youth population which constitutes over 50 per cent of the estimated 200 million population.
The Governor of Jigawa State, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who attended the ceremony virtually, appreciated the minstry and NITDA for chosen Jigawa state to pilot the project, which, he said, would alleviate poverty and make Jigawa farmers independent.
